Android Auto & Apple CarPlay Mirror What Drivers Want

A new report from the Strategy Analytics’ In-Vehicle UX (IVX) team, surveying consumers in the US, Western Europe and Chinaregarding smartphone mirroring systems for the car, has found thata large majority of consumers in all markets are interested in mirroring systems and moreover, the total number of consumers who feel that they are a “must-have” feature when purchasing their next vehicle is increasing. The demand for smoother in-car smartphone integration is underway. Access to smartphone apps through in-car HMI is increasingly important to consumers’ purchase decisions and mobile apps are preferred for many navigation tasks, especially for those more advanced.

Key report findings include:

Interest for mirroring systems has increased in all regions from 2017 to 2018 and remains robust.

Android Auto dominates in the US and Apple CarPlay dominates in both Western Europe and China. Globally, consumer appetite for Apple CarPlay as a “must-have” feature is increasing most.

We also note that a large majority of consumers, regardless of smartphone ownership or region, are willing to pay for these smartphone mirroring systems.

“Consumers find mirrored systems far more preferable to embedded infotainment systems due to stronger visual appeal and better usability for key in-car tasks. We are finding that most consumers are using Android Auto and CarPlay for a majority of their in-car infotainment tasks, often to the exclusion of embedded systems”said Diane O’Neill, Director UXIP and report author commented,

“This continues to present bad news for embedded navigation suppliers and OEMs that want to sell upgraded navigation systems. While OEMs still offer mirroring systems at lower price points than embedded navigation systems, consumer willingness to pay and appetite for familiar user interfaces suggests that mirroring systems will only continue to rise in preference, ” said Chris Schreiner, Director, Syndicated Research UXIP: